Role of microbiota in host- Plasmodium interaction

Abstract

Malaria is one of the major public health and deadly parasitic diseases caused by the Plasmodium species. The microbiota plays a great role in host-Plasmodium interactions in their life cycle. There is a lack of comprehensive information on their role, and even their role in the Plasmodium lifecycle is not clearly defined as positive or negative. Generally, the importance of the present review helps have comprehensive information on the microbiota's role, which is important to generate an idea on the new prevention and control mechanism of malaria. This review is aimed at reviewing literature related to the role of microbiota in host plasmodium interactions. Common search terms were Anopheles mosquito, Microbiota, Malaria, and Plasmodium. Forty-seven related articles were reviewed. The sources of articles were Google Scholar, PubMed, and Wiley online library with retrieval time from August 15 to September 4/2021. The existence of microbiota in the midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes stimulates the mosquito's immunity, which enables the production of antimicrobial peptides and other immune effectors that act against Plasmodium. Microbiota also impairs Plasmodium survival by producing uncharacterized bacterial-associated metabolites and competing for essential nutrients or resources like lipoproteins. Peptidoglycan recognition protein LB in bacteria has been identified as a negative regulator of the immune deficiency pathway, which prevents systemic antimicrobial responses to the microbiota. The human gut microbiota is known to play a crucial role in the invasion, severity, and outcome of Plasmodium infections in the human host. Additionally, human skin bacteria have been found to convert components of sweat into volatile organic compounds that attract mosquitoes, indirectly affecting the Plasmodium life cycle. The interaction between female Anopheles mosquitoes and human hosts to Plasmodium is influenced by the microbiota of both the mosquito and the human host. However, many mechanisms of interaction are still unknown, and further original research is needed to better understand the host-pathogen interaction between Anopheles mosquitoes and Plasmodium.

Keywords: Anopheles mosquito; Microbiota; Plasmodium.